Geekerella by Ashley Poston: We’re All Part of a Fandom

“Because in the end we’re all just a bunch of weirdos standing in front of other weirdos, asking for their username.”

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic science-fiction series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck and her dad’s old costume, Elle’s determined to win – unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons – before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he has ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake – until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?

Part-romance, part-love letter to nerd culture and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

They lived in the world of fantasy but the real world keeps dragging them back…

Elle has been a fan of the show Starfield ever since she was a little kid. Her parents met because of the show and it holds a special place in her heart. But ever since her father died and she was left with her stepmother and stepsisters who were downright awful and mean and all things unfair, Elle’s daily life consisted of chores and punishment from her step-monster and bullying from the sisters.

Darrien, on the other hand, was such an adorable dork. Equal parts sexy and cute as he was described by his costar. He is part of the celebrity world and has his fair share of monster fans, but he was a fanboy himself. And being able to take on the role of the character he admired the most was a dream come true for him.

Darien and Elle’s friendship which grew via text was also relatable. Hello there fellow bloggers and friends all over this world wide web! Like the two, we share the same interests and go gaga over the same things, using some fandom vocabulary which may seem weird to others but not to us. But I do think Darien and Elle’s romance was a little too fast. I mean they only just met personally and there should be a period of getting to know each more, but they’re cute together I’ll give them that.

I remember when my cousin was trying to get me into the Supernatural fandom and she kept feeding me episode after episode of the show, and the same thing happened here when Elle slowly introduced Sage to her favorite TV show when they were working on her cosplay. Sage is the fairy “fashionista” godmother who is really just the epitome of a cool, funny and outspoken character.

A perfect description for her:

She wears life like Elvis wore sequins, with no apology laced into the seams.

There’s also the “pumpkin” which is actually a vegan food truck (fitting!) where Elle and Sage works and deals with the chimichangas on a daily basis. The fairy tale aspects were definitely on point! Love how it is both original and inspired.

This book also touches upon how fiction and fantasy can be a huge influence on one’s life.

“How can a show teach you anything? How can you learn about the world if you’re buried in fantasy?”

Good question, Stepmonster.

Like Elle drawing inspiration and courage from a character and how she stayed strong despite being in a horrible situation, and I’m quoting Sage here, “…you’ve taken a crappy subplot and managed to live through it, and you are selfless and you’re brave.” And Darien who would always look up to Carmindor of Starfield, the character that he is playing in the movie, and continues to aspire to become the same as him. That it doesn’t matter if it is a fictional character in a fictional world, as long as people who live by the lessons they embody, it is as real as it can be.

The fandom vibes in this book are seriously so relatable! It doesn’t just refer to TV shows or movies but it can also apply to different fandoms.

“Does that mean that you aren’t a true fan? If you like one Batman over another? Which Batman does a true fan like?”

With reboots and remakes of our favorite characters and shows in abundance these days, there will always be comparisons as to which is the best. But no matter what or whose version you like, it doesn’t make you less of a fan. It really is just a matter of preference and it should not be subject to anyone’s ridicule and that there is no such thing as fake fans. This book is definitely a love letter to fans and the nerd culture as the synopsis said.

The story heavily reminded me of Fangirland Eliza and Her Monsterswith the fandom craze, cult following, a bit of fan-fiction and cosplay involved; with the same inspiration as Cinder & Ella, and a dash of This is What Happy Looks Likewhen it comes to the two communicating through mails — or in this case text messages. If you have read and liked any of these books, I’m sure you will also appreciate this adorable and heartfelt story — a modern retelling of the Cinderella tale, with her dainty shoes and pumpkin carriage from her very own fairy godmother.

It was an easy to read, cute and familiar story. Just like there are morals in the fairytales, this book also has something for its readers. Though I will not be rereading this any time soon (or probably not ever), I enjoyed reading this retelling and the message it carries for geeks and nerds and all things weird.

I’ve had this on my TBR for sooo long and I really wanna get to it, but I can’t get my hands on it anywhere, it’s frustrating as hell! By the way, that first quote? I relate so much haha :’)
This book sounds really really fun and if anything, I now want to read it even more? I’m sorry to hear that you found the romance developed too quickly, I know I usually hate that in books 😦
Great review!

Technically, I still haven’t gotten my hands on it 😀 I read it on my kindle and still not sure if I should get the physical copy.. This could be a fun read if you enjoy retellings. Hope you get to read this soon! And do share your thoughts when you do ^^

I loved Geekerella so much! It was adorable and hilarious. The romance was a bit fast but hey it was a contemporary and plus the book was pretty short. I loved that it focused on themes of loss and I think it was done really well! Great review!